A world famous conductor has pulled out of his performances at the Proms and the Edinburgh festival after being accused in Thailand of child molestation.

Mikhail Pletnev, the founder and artistic director of the Russian National Orchestra (RNO), was charged last month with molesting a 14-year-old boy after police raided the musician's home in Thailand and found incriminating photographs.

Pletnev's spokesman announced today that he would not be conducting RNO concerts in London on 18 August and Edinburgh on 19 August "in order to have the necessary time to deal with the accusations against him".

Pletnev said in a statement: "I do not wish to overshadow the wonderful music-making of the RNO and their tour in the UK with the current accusations surrounding my person. I will not comment on the ongoing investigation, but I hope the matter will be resolved speedily and it will be clear that I am innocent of the accusations against me. I look forward to returning to the UK with my orchestra soon."

Andrey Boreyko, a former member of the RNO Conductor Collegium, will replace Pletnev for both UK concerts.

The Proms programme – which includes Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Tchaikovsky's Suite No 3 in G major – remains unchanged.

An Edinburgh international festival spokeswoman said Boreyko was one of the most exciting and dynamic conductors to emerge from eastern Europe in recent years. "Andrey has worked with the Russian National Orchestra on a number of occasions to great acclaim and we look forward to welcoming him to the festival for the first time."

Pletnev was arrested in July at a badminton club in Pattaya, a resort on the Gulf of Thailand where he owns several properties.

Police searched one of his homes, confiscating material in connection with an investigation into a paedophilia ring. Prosecutors told a court in Pattaya that the search yielded several "compromising" photographs of Pletnev with underage boys.

Pletnev, a Grammy winner who studied at the Moscow Conservatory and founded the RNO as post-Soviet Russia's first private orchestra in 1990, was released on bail of £6,000. He denied the charge, saying there had been a "misunderstanding". If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.